USA > New Jersey > Salem County > Salem > History and genealogy of Fenwick's colony > Part 36
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Among the early Friends of Salem, William Cooper was was quite prominent for a young man. He and his father, William Cooper, emigrated to America about the year 1678, the father settling in Burlington county, whilst the son located at Salem, and followed his trade, which was that of a blacksmith. In the year 1682 he married Mary, the eldest daughter of Ed- ward and Mary Bradway, and had three children-John, Han- nah and Mary Cooper. As near as can be ascertained, William and his family left Salem in 1688 and purchased land where Camden is now located, and resided there until his death, which took place in 1691. In his will he named his father, William Cooper, and his father-in-law, Edward Bradway, his executors. John, the son of William and Mary B. Cooper, married Ann Clark. Hannah Cooper married John Mickle. Mary Cooper, their youngest daughter, married Benjamin Thackray. John Cooper died in 1750, leaving a widow and the following named children-James, John, David, Mary, Ann, Sarah and Hannah. My estimable friend, Judge John Clement, of Haddonfield, who as a genealogist and historian has no superior in West Jersey, informed me that one of the collateral heirs of James Fenni- more Cooper, the celebrated novelist and publicist, recently came from his home in New York to trace the connection of the Cooper family of West Jersey with his family. He found by examining the wills and deeds that his ancestor, Fennimore Cooper, was a descendant of William and Mary Bradway Cooper.
Robert Zane, who was active in organizing the first Friends Meeting at Salem, purchased of the proprietor a 16 acre lot on Fenwick street, the junction with the street now known as Yorke street, located on the west side. The old house which his son built and occupied is still standing, and has what is called a "hip roof," which resembles in some measure the modern French inansard roof. Such roofs were common at that time in this country. Robert Zane left Salem before the year 1690, and purchased a large tract of good land near the old Newton Meet- ing House, bordering on Newton creek, and there he and his wife died. Most of his landed estate is still owned by his de-
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scendants, particularly in the female line. A part of the family remained at Salem. Robert's great-granddaughter married Lewis, son of William and Mary Morris Goodwin, of Elsinborough, about 1778 or 1779. There were two children-John and Su- sanna Goodwin.
The minute of the first organized Monthly Meeting of Friends in West Jersey, was as follows : "At a meeting held last day " of the fifth month, 1676, it was unanimously considered that " the first second day of the week in the 6th month, that Friends " do meet in the town of New Salem, in Fenwick's Colony, and " all Friends thereunto, do monthly meet together, to consider " of outward circumstances, and business. And if such that has " been convinced, and walked disorderly, that they may in all "gravity and uprightness to God, and in tenderness of spirit "and love to their souls, be admonished, exhorted, and also re- "proved, and their evil deeds and practices testified against in " the wisdom of God, and in the authority of truth, that may "answer the witness of God within them. . Signed,
1
"SAMUEL NICHOLSON,
" ROBERT ZANES,
" ROBERT WADE,
" EDWARD WADE,
" RICHARD GUY,
" ISAAC SMART,
" JOHN FENWICK,
" RICHARD JOHNSON, "and others."
After Samuel Nicholson and his wife sold their Salem lands to the Society of Friends they removed to Elsinborough, on the 2,000 acre tract of land that he purchased of the pro- prietor in 1676, and there ended their days. The precise time of his death is uncertain, but events which occurred soon after indicate that it was about 1690. Their eldest daughter, Para- ble, born in England 20th of 2d month, 1659, married Abraham Strand, at New Salem, 25th of 9th month, 1677. Joseph, their second son, born at Northamptonshire, England, 30th of 2d month, 1669, married a young woman at Haddonfield. At the death of Samuel Nicholson he devised that his landed estate in Elsinborough should be divided between his eldest son, Sam- uel Nicholson, Jr., and his youngest son, Abel Nicholson. Samuel Nicholson, Jr., married, and died in a short time after- ward, leaving no issue, and he devised the whole of his real estate to his brother, Josepli Nicholson, who resided near Had- donfield. Joseph, in 1696, sold about one-half of it to George
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Abbott, who had recently emigrated from New England. The balance was purchased by Samuel Stebbins and John Firth. Joseph Nicholson died in 1702, intestate, leaving but two chil- dren-George and Samuel. George, in 1717, married Alice Lord. Samuel had three wives. His first wife was Sarah Burroughs, whom he married in 1722. In 1744 he married Jane, widow of William Albertson, and daughter of John Engle. Their descendants are numerous in the vicinity of Haddonfield. Samuel Nicholson died in 1750, leaving the fol- lowing children-Joseph, their eldest, who married Catharine Butcher, of Burlington county, in 1738 ; Samuel, who married Rebecca, daughter of Aaron Aaronson; Abigail, who married Daniel Hillman, in 1743 (her second husband was John Gill, whom she married in 1769); Hannah, who married John Hill- man ; and Sarah Nicholson, who died unmarried in 1756.
Abel Nicholson died in 1761 before his first child was born. It proved to be a son, who was named Abel, after his father, and subsequently married Rebecca, the daughter of Isaac Ellis. From this son sprung the immediate family of the name of Nicholson in the neighborhood of Haddonfield at the present time. Abel Nicholson, the youngest son of Samuel Nicholson, the emigrant, was born in England 2d of 5th month, 1672, and he resided on his estate in Elsinborough which he inherited from his father, the greater part of his life. He married Mary, the daughter of William and Joanna Tyler, who was born in Eng- land in the 11th month, 1677. Their children were-Rachel, born 7th of 7th month, 1698; Abel, born 13th of 1st month, 1700 ; Joseph, born 4th of 12th month, 1701; and William, born 15th of 9th month, 1703. (The latter subsequently became the owner of 500 acres of land in Mannington, being part of Hedgefield.)
Ann Nicholson was born 15th of 11th month, 1707, and married John Brick, Jr., of Gravelly Run, in the county of Cumberland. Ruth was born 9th of 9th month, 1713. Samuel was born 10th of 12th month, 1716, and he became the owner of all his father's real estate in the township of Elsinborough. He married Sarah Dennis, of Greenwich, in 1742. John, the youngest child, was born 6th of 3d month, 1719, and his wife was Jael Darkin, of Elsinborough. The descendants of Abel Nicholson I have mentioned heretofore.
Friends of Salem continued to hold their meetings in the house purchased of Samuel Nicholson until the year 1700, at which time they built a new brick house where the present grave-yard is. It stood east of the oak tree. The meeting
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increased in numbers so much that the house was not large enough to accommodate them, and in 1770 members of Salem Monthly Meeting bought a lot of ground on Fenwick street, of Thomas Hancock and Robert Johnson, and erected the present commodious building, which was completed in 1772.
There was an "Indulge Meeting," as is known in the Society, in Elsinborough as early as 1680. The house stood on the property of Richard Darkin (Casper W. Thompson owns the land at this time.) There was a regular meeting of Friends held at Alloways Creek, at the house of James Denn, in 1679, and continued until 1685.
In the year 1684 Edward Champney and John Smith each deeded half an acre of ground to Christopher White and Sam- uel Wade-one for a meeting house and the other for a grave yard. The ground was a corner of each of their lots on Mon- mouth river. The same year Salem Monthly Meeting of Friends agreed with Christopher to build a meeting house on one of the said lots, the cost of the building not to exceed £40. He was also directed to clear a road from the King's Highway to the meeting house, for which he charged £10 more. In 1685 the first religious meeting was held there, and so continued until 1718. The greater part of the members resided on the south side of the creek, and there being no bridge at that period, they were put to great inconvenience in getting to meeting.
Joseph Ware gave the Friends a lot of ground on his planta- tion on the south side of the creek, the deed having been given in 1717. As soon as the meeting house was finished, the mein- bers on the north side of Monmouth river were attached to Salem Particular Meeting. The families were the Abbotts, Stubbins, Moss and Tylers. The meeting house was abandoned about that time, but the grave-yard was used for a number of years after the meetings ceased to be held at that place. The Friends subsequently purchased a lot of ground on the south side of the creek, near Harmersville, for a burying ground, which has been the principal place for interment up to this time. A number of persons, however, have been buried in the ancient grave-yard since the members of the Society, in a meas- ure, abandoned it; such families as the Waddingtons, Hancocks, Carlls, and a few others, were desirous to be lain with their ancestors. The principal families that were members of Allo- ways Creek Meeting at the time alluded to were the Whites, Bradways, Denns, Wares, Chambless, Oakfords, Wades, Dan- iels, Hancocks, Stretches, Barbers, and several others. Friends
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continued to hold their meeting in the house built on the Ware property until the year 1756. In 1753 William Hancock deeded a lot of ground to the members of Alloways Creek Particular Meeting for a meeting house, as it was a more con- venient location. The house was built at two different periods of time, the oldest in 1756, the new, as it is called, in 1784.
The Friends meeting at Lower Greenwich was established at an early period in the settlement of the English Colony. Mark Reeves, William Bacon, James Duncan and others, made appli- cation to Salem Monthly Meeting in 1698 for assistance in building a meeting house. Previous to that time meetings were held at private houses. Members of Greenwich Meeting, with the assistance of Salem Monthly Meeting, built a meeting house that year. It stood where the present meeting house is located, near the Cohansey, for the purpose of accommodating the Friends that resided on the south side of the river in Fairfield township. Greenwich Meeting, in the fore part of the last century, increased largely in the number of its members, so much so that it was deemed necessary to build a larger house for their accommoda- tion. There was a substantial brick house erected on or near where the old frame house formerly stood. The influential per- sons and their families that were members of Greenwich Par- ticular Meeting during the middle and latter part of the 18th century, were the Reeves, Davis, Millers, Woods, Sheppards, Tests, Bricks, Dennis, Harmers, Bacons, Tylers, Stewarts, and several others. Several of those mentioned above were conspic- nous men in the generation in which they lived. The Reeves, whom I mentioned in the genealogy of their families, and the Woods have left an enviable reputation. There were four Rich- ard Woods born in Cumberland county, three of them being influential members of Greenwich Meeting. The fourth Rich- ard Wood left his native town and eventually resided and died in Philadelphia, and became an eminent merchant, and left a large estate. The first Richard Wood that we have account of in this country, resided on Gravelly Run, known at this time as Stoe Creek township, Cumberland county. The Wood family owned a large tract of land at that place. Richard's wife, I think, was Priscilla, the daughter of Mark Reeve, the emigrant, born about 1700. They had five children-Jane, Richard, Le- titia, Ruth and Priscilla Wood. The father of these children died in the year 1759, and was buried on his own farm in the Wood's family burying ground. His son, Richard Wood, was born 18th of 1st month, 1728, and he learned the trade of a cooper and followed it in the town of Greenwich, and he has
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been represented to have possessed unusual business capacities. Notwithstanding his industrious habits, he never let worldly affairs prevent him from attending to his religions meeting. He traveled with his friend, Mark Reeve, as companion, on a relig- ious visit through the New England States. He married twice. By his first wife he had two children-Richard and James Wood. His last wife was Mary, widow of Job Bacon, and the daughter of John and Mary Wade Stewart, born 6th of 1st month, 1746. She had three children by her first husband-Job, Elizabeth and George Bacon. Richard and his last wife, Mary Wood, had no issue. I have been told that he retired, in a great measure, from business, and purchased the large brick house and a number of acres attached, property formerly of Nicholas Gibbon, and at that place he spent the evening of his days, dying several years before his wife. After his death the widow continued to reside there, and her house was a resort of her numerous relatives and acquaintances. She lived to an old age, and was truly a mother in Israel.
Richard Wood, 3d, born 7th of 6th month, 1755, married twice. There were two sons by his first wife. David, the eldest, in after life, became largely interested in the iron works at Mill- ville. Richard's second wife was Elizabeth, the daughter of Job and Mary Stewart Bacon. There were six children by that marriage-George B., Richard, Charles, Horatio, Ann Elizabeth, and Hannah Wood. It is but justice to the memory of Richard Wood, 3d, to say that he is still held in grateful remembrance by the old inhabitants of Greenwich, through his many acts of kindness and benevolence to his fellow creatures.
The Davis family were distinguished members of Greenwich Meeting. I have no definite knowledge at what time Charles Davis went to Cohansey to reside, but he became a large land- holder in Greenwich township, at the place known as Bacon's Neck. In 1739 he married Elizabeth Dennis, of the same place. There was one son, Gabriel Davis, who subsequently came in possession of a large tract of excellent land that belonged to his father, and in the year 1767 he married Sarah, the daughter of Ebenezer Miller, Sr., born at Greenwich 17th of 3d month, 1746. They had no issue. Gabriel Davis was one who did a great many acts of kindness in assisting young men who had but little means, by loaning them money to commence business with. Such acts of benevolence and kindness gave him a name as a benefactor to the poor and needy in the section of country in which he lived. In his will he devised the greater portion of his landed estate to his nephew, Ebenezer Hall, whe subse-
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quently married, and at his death, left three children-Gabriel, Elizabeth and Ann Hall. Elizabeth married Thomas Bacon, of Philadelphia. Ann, the youngest daughter, married John, the son of Job Bacon.
There was a Friends Meeting established near the head of Alloways river, at the village of Thompson's Bridge. The name of this place has since been changed to Allowaystown. The meeting house stood on the north side of the creek, ad- joining the farm owned by William F. Reeve at this time. There was a burying ground near the meeting house, where most of the early settlers in that section where interred. The house was removed many years ago, but the lot is still enclosed. The persons that belonged to Allowaystown Particular Meeting were members of Salem Monthly Meeting, and the names of the principal members were William Thompson, Thomas, Ben- jamin, Samuel, Joseph and William Thompson, Jr., Joseph Fogg, and his three sons, Joseph, Daniel and Samuel Fogg, and their families, William Oakford and family, William Craig, the Noblets, and a few other families. Samuel Fogg subse- quently purchased land in the lower part of the township, which is known at this time as Lower Alloways Creek. He and his family became members of Alloways Creek Particular Meeting. William Thompson, from whom Thompson's Bridge derived its name, was the son of Andrew and Isabella Thomp- son, and was born near Dublin, Ireland, 9th of 8th month, 1666. He emigrated with his parents in 1677, and landed in New Jersey at Elsinborough Point the same year. Benjamin Thompson, son of William and Hannah Thompson, was born 11th of Sth month, 1719, and subsequently married Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Ware, Jr., the marriage having taken place in 1745. Benjamin was considered the best business man of his day in that section of country. He had the principal oversight of Richard Wistar's glassworks the greater part of the time it was in operation. The said glass works were located about two miles east of Allowaystown, on the property now owned by Jacob P. Reeves. The most authentic account I have seen gives this factory as the second one of the kind in the English Colonies in America. There was one started in Massachusetts two years previous to Wistar's in Salem county. Benjamin Thompson died about 1775, and his wife died in the same year.
William Oakford, another distinguished member of Friends Meeting at Thompson's Bridge, was a descendant of Wade Oakford, and he had large possessions in landed estate near
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that place. Jonathan House, who owns and resides on part of the Oakford estate, is a lineal descendant of William Oakford, as is also Albert W. Sherron, of Salem, on his mother's side.
About the year 1725 there was a Friends Meeting established at Woodstown, which was then called and still bears the name of Pilesgrove Meeting, after the name of the township in which it is located. The principal families which composed Piles- grove Meeting at the time of its organization were the Lippin- cotts, Davis, Barnes, Dunns, Silvers, and a few years later Samuel and William Bassett, and several others, became mem- bers. Although Pilesgrove Meeting was small in the beginning it is at the present time the largest Friends Meeting in what is known as Fenwick's Colony.
About the year 1760 there was a meeting established at Port Elizabeth, the principal families of which were Jonathan Jones and family, the Dallas, Buzbys, and several others.
In the fore part of this century, Coates and Britton, of Philadelphia, banked a large tract of meadow land lying on the lower side of Maurice river, and extending down the bay nearly or quite to West creek. After the said meadow and low lands were completely reclaimed from the overflow of the tide, they divided the property into small farms, and held out inducements for persons to settle thereon. There were several families, members of Friends Meeting, from Gloucester county and Cape May settled there. George Craft, Sr., of Gloucester, was hired by the proprietors to superintend the whole property, and most of the persons that were tenants under Coates and Britton were members of the Society of Friends. By that means the meeting at Port Elizabeth was greatly increased in numbers. The enterprise of reclaiming such a large body of swamp and salt marsh appeared to answer admirably for some years, but there came a terrible storm and a great swell of the ocean in the 9th month, 1819, which carried and swept away miles of their tide bank along the bay shore, and the inhabitants barely escaped with their lives, whilst a large number of horses and cattle per- ished. That disaster entirely broke up the little settlement, and many families returned to their foriner homes. Although the meeting at Port Elizabeth was diminished in numbers by the catastrophe, it was kept up for a number of years afterwards by the families of the Jones, Buzbys, Dallas, Elkintous, Town- sends, Bradways, and others. Several of the heads of those families have long since paid the debt of nature, whilst the younger branches have moved to other parts of the country.
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At this time there is no Friends Meeting kept up at Port Elizabeth.
About the middle or latter part of the last century there was a Friends Meeting established at Pedricktown, in the township of Upper Penns Neck, it being a branch of Pilesgrove meeting. The principal families that composed the meeting were the Ped- ricks, Somers, Taylors, Greens, Kirbys, and a few others. The Pedrick family is one of the oldest in the county of Salem.
On the 22d of 3d month, 1689, James Nevell gave an order to Richard Tindall to resurvey for Roger Pedrick, at Oldman's Creek, 1,000 acres, which the said Roger Pedrick had pur- chased of the proprietor in the fore part of 1676. The Somers family emigrated to this county from Great Egg Harbor.
Although somewhat foreign to the subject that I have written upon, there has been much speculation respecting Jacob Spicer. Some have thought he emigrated to New Jersey from England, but he was born at Long Island, of Quaker parentage, his parents, Samnel and Hester Spicer, having resided at Graves- end, L. I. They had six children-Abram, born 27th of 8th month, 1666; Jacob, born 20th of 1st month, 1668 ; May, born 20th of 8th month, 1671; Sarah, born 19th of 4th month, 1674; Martha, born 27th of 11th month, 1676; Sarah, born 16th of 2d month, 1677 ; and Abigail, born 26th of 1st month, 1683. Hester Spicer, the mother of the children mentioned, was born in 1647, and was a daughter of John and Mary Tilton.
Samuel Spicer, the father of Jacob Spicer, purchased lands about the year 1683, near Gloucester Point, Glouester county, and he settled thereon. It is well known that his son Jacob become conspicuous in the affairs of West Jersey, and died near Cold Spring Inlet, Cape May county. His son Jacob was equally as useful a man as his father. He and Leaming wrote the laws of West New Jersey.
As early as 1720 there was a Friends Meeting established at Cape May composed of the founders of Egg Harbor, the Som- ers, Sculls, Leeds, and a few other families ; the members of Cape May were Richard Townsend, Peter Corson and Aaron Leaming. The latter was a native of Connecticut. He came to Salem when a boy and was early noticed by Sarah, the widow of William IIall. He spoke of her as being very intelligent and wealthy, and of having an excellent library, which she in- vited him to her house for the purpose of reading. Whilst Aaron resided at Salem he joined the Friends Society. Soon after that event he went to Cape May and located a tract of land at Goshen, and married Lydia Shaw, also a member. They had four children-Aaron, Jeremiah, Mathias and Elizabeth.
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At a monthly meeting of Friends held in New Salem, in Fenwick's Colony, the 29th of 6th month, 1698, John Thomp- son, Sr., Isaac Smart, Ruthro Morris and Richard Darkin were appointed to superintend the building of a meeting house, to be of brick, for the use of Salem Monthly Meeting, and to raise money by a voluntary subscription for that purpose.
The following are the names of Friends that contributed, and the different sums of money cach gave opposite their respective names :
£ sh.
£ sh.
John Thompson,
30 00
Edward Goodwin,
4 00
Richard Darkin,
25 00
Joseph White,
2 10
William Tyler,
20 00
Esther Harrison,
2 06
Isaac Smart,
18 00
John Mason,
10 00
Richard Johnson,
15 00
John Remington,
5 00
Thomas Thompson,
18 00
Wade Oakford,
2 10
John Smith, of Smithfield,
18 00
William Bradway,
3 03
Bartholomew Wyatt,
18 00
Edward Keasbey,
4 00
Ruthro Morris,
16 00
Jeremiah Powell,
2 00
William Rumsey,
15 00
James White,
1 10
Nathaniel Chambless, Sr.,
15 60
John Maddox,
10 00
Nathaniel Chambless, Jr.,
15 00
William Savage,
3 10
Josiah White,
7 00
William Hall,
5 00
John Hancock,
10 00
John Smith, of Arbebbury, 10 00
Benjamin Thompson,
10 00
Daniel Smith, son of the above, 10 00
A. Thompson, Jr.,
10 00
Charles Oakford,
5 00
Joseph Ware,
8 00
Samuel Wade, 7 00
Abel Nicholson,
7 00
Esther White, widow of
Richard Woodnutt,
6 00
Charles H. White, 5 00
John Shales,
3 00
James Daniels, the elder, 2 02
The names of Friends that contributed toward erecting the building of dwellings in other places :
£ sh.
Samuel Carpenter, Philadelphia,
15 00
Edward Shippen, Philadelphia,
5 00
Samuel Jennings, Burlington,
5 00
Bridget Guy, widow of Richard Guy,
. 5 00
Robert Ashton, of Delaware,
5 00
Thomas Smith, of Darby, Pennsylvania,
2 00
37 00
Report of the Committee to the Monthly Meeting:
£ sh.
Cost for brick, stone and lime, and workmanship,
188 11
For timber, boards, shingles and glass, . 194 03
Iron work, nails and glazing, 37 17
Paying John Thompson for his trouble and expenses, and overseeing the work, 5 00
425 11
William Thompson,
10 00
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The house was erected a few rods east of the large oak tree. At that time, several of the ablest and oldest emigrants were deceased, such as Fenwick, Samuel Nicholson, John Pledger, Edward Bradway, Edward Wade, Andrew Thompson, Sr., Rob- ert Windham, Christopher White. All of them lay in the yard, except John Fenwick and Christopher White ; the former, by his request, was buried in the family burying ground of the Sharp family, in Upper Mannington, near the Alms Honse; Christo- pher White was buried in the ancient burying ground of Friends, at Alloways Creek, not far from Hancock's Bridge. Said yard is situated on the north side of Monmouth river. It was deeded to Christopher White and Samuel Wade, by Edward Champny, the son-in-law of John Fenwick, in 1684.
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